Chapter Text
Molly turned to her mother, a pout on her face.
“Mam, pozhalusta, could we get some ice cream?” Molly did her best attempt at puppy dog eyes, and her mother sighed.
“Fine, Malishka.”
Molly jumped excitedly. “Thank you, mama!”
Fabian and Gideon, who were talking about something on their own, gasped. “Ice cream? Yes!”
Molly’s mother led the three Prewett children over to the ice cream stand that had a large sign with the words Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor .
“Which flavors do you want?” Molly’s mother asked, looking over her children.
“Dark chocolate!” Molly exclaimed at the same time as the twins asked for strawberry.
Molly’s mother nodded, then turned to the person standing behind the counter at the parlor. “Excuse me, could we please have three separate ice creams? Two strawberry, one dark chocolate.”
The person behind the counter nodded, eyes crinkling up as they smiled. “Of course. Your child looks around the age of one of my daughters, would you mind if I sent her to go play with your children?”
“Oh, sure! My older ones are six, and my younger is five.” Molly’s mother gestured to said children.
The person nodded. “Mine is five as well. Alice!”
The sound of footsteps coming from behind the parlor grew louder and louder until a small, light-skinned child with short, spiky black hair. They came to a halt right in front of Molly and her brothers.
“Hi! I’m Alice Fortescue, she/her, who are you?” Alice extended a hand in front of herself.
“I’m Molly Prewett,” Molly responded, shaking Alice’s hand. “She/her as well. Those are my brothers, Gideon and Fabian.”
“Nice to meet you, Molly!” Alice smiled brightly. Molly smiled right back.
(God, did that smile cause Molly so much pain later on.)
“Mama! Can we go by to Alice’s again today?” Molly asked at the breakfast table, eating excitedly. “It’s been for ever since I’ve seen her.”
“Darling, you were over at her house yesterday,” Molly’s dad said fondly.
Molly pouted. “Pleease? It’s Fab and Gid’s birthday today, and they’re going to be playing with their friends, and they don’t include me in their games. Alice always plays with me.”
Molly’s parents exchanged a glance, then sighed. “Alright, Malishka, we’ll drop you off at Alice’s later, then.”
“But the twins only turn ten once,” Molly’s dad protested. “Shouldn’t she spend more time with her brothers? She keeps talking about Alice all the time.”
(Hmm, I wonder why Molly always talked about Alice.)
“Oh, let her go. She has more fun with Alice than with her brothers,” Molly’s mother argued.
Molly’s dad sighed. “Fine, but you’re driving her.”
“Alice!” Molly exclaimed, rushing forward to hug her best friend.
“Molly!” Alice hugged her back. Molly slightly picked her up, and Alice bent her legs to make it easier to carry her. Molly spun her around, laughing as she did. “Come on, come on, there’s a new flavor of ice cream for us to try!”
Molly’s mother watched as Alice led Molly away. Molly’s mother smiled.
They’re such good friends.
(Sure.)
***
“Hey, Alice, are you listening?” Alice turned to Molly, who was snapping in her face.
“No, sorry, what were you saying?” Alice cocked her head to the side in question.
Molly sighed. “I was asking what house you were hoping to get into.”
“Honestly? I wouldn’t mind any of them. My grandpa was in Ravenclaw, so I could very well follow his footsteps, though,” Alice responded, glancing in said grandpa’s direction. He was currently talking with some customers. “What about you?”
“I think I’d prefer to get into either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff,” Molly responded with a shrug. “Actually, I think I’m just going to follow you into whatever house you get into.”
“Oh, that would be nice!” Alice grinned, clapping in excitement.
“Oh god, if we get into Gryffindor, my brothers are in there,” Molly groaned. “They’re going to be insufferable.”
“I hope they don’t push holidays that not all of us follow onto us,” Alice noted solemnly. “It wouldn’t be very inclusive if they forced us to celebrate Halloween or Valentine’s day, would it?”
“No, not at all,” Molly agreed. “At least they just combine all the winter holidays into one ‘Yule’ or whatever, that’s nice.”
Alice shrugged. “Yeah.” She paused for a second, blinking. “Do you think they’d let me light a hannukiah and put it on the windowsill in our room, or would that be a fire hazard?”
Molly paused, then laughed. “I mean, we could always put it out with an aguamenti , right?”
Alice frowned. “True.”
“Molly, darling, it’s time to go, okay?” Alice and Molly turned to see Molly’s mother, Poppy Prewett, standing behind them.
“Oh, okay! Bye, Alice!” Molly waved, standing up to leave with her mother.
Alice waved goodbye to Molly, then turned back to watching her grandpa selling ice cream.
“Do you think we’re going to make a lot of friends in other houses?” Molly wondered, watching as the landscape zoomed by.
“I hope so. It’d be nice to have people to hang out with,” Alice replied, resting her head on Molly’s shoulder. She hadn’t gotten enough sleep that night, at all.
“Y-yeah,” Molly agreed, but Alice was already asleep.
(Alice never saw the signs, but neither did Molly, so who really won?)
“Alice. Alice, wake up.” Alice awoke to Molly shaking her by the shoulder.
“What?”
“We’ve arrived, come on, let’s go.”
Molly and Alice made their way off the train, pushing through the bustling crowds of people.
“First years, first years over here!” Alice looked up to see a quite tall person waving many people over, and Alice and Molly joined the crowd. “Four a boat, please!”
Alice and Molly joined a boat that already had two people, and so the four swam in the boat over to the castle that was Hogwarts.
“What are y’all names?” asked one of the people they were in the boat with. “I’m Holly Bennett, she/her.”
“I’m Eve Cauldron, she/her,” introduced the other boatmate.
“I’m Molly Prewett, she/her,” introduced Molly.
“I’m Alice Fortescue, she/her,” Alice chimed in. “Are either of you muggleborns?”
“Holly is,” Eve responded. “I’m a halfblood; muggle mom.”
“Molly and I are purebloods,” Alice responded. “Are you two friends? Molly and I have been friends for a couple years now.”
“Yeah, Holly and I grew up in the same neighborhood,” Eve responded.
Alice nodded. “Okay.”
“We’re here,” Holly commented.
“Thanks,” Alice replied, standing to get out of the boat. The four of them headed into the palace, joining the crowd of first years making their way in.
“First years, come here for the sorting.” An old, wise-looking person called out. “I’m Professor McGonagall.”
Alice, Molly, Eve, and Holly made their way over to where the rest of the first years stood. McGonagall cleared her throat, pulling out a list.
“When I read off your name, please come up to sit on the chair and put on the Sorting Hat.”
Said hat suddenly burst into song. Alice and Molly had been told beforehand by Fabian and Gideon about this, so they weren’t surprised. However, some of the other first years seemed quite startled.
Good morning all, young and small, came here, gathered in this hall.
You come to be sorted by me, not knowing the fate lying for us all.
Will you go to Hufflepuff, their loyalty extreme?
Or will you go to Slytherin, their ambitiousness redeemed?
Or perhaps you’ll stumble into Ravenclaw, known for their wit?
Maybe even Gryffindor, so brave, is that where you fit?
You entrust your fate inside my hands, letting me become the game-maker
Do you truly trust that I’m not a faker?
With that, the Sorting Hat’s song came to an end. Alice exchanged a look with Molly, then lowered her voice.
“Quite an interesting song, don’t you think?”
Molly shrugged in reply. “I guess so. I wonder, does the hat spend most of its time making new songs for the years?”
Alice shrugged. “Maybe we could ask it at some point.”
“Ashe, Kim,” McGonagall called.
A beige-skinned person with straight, black hair made their way over to the chair, before placing the hat over their head. After around half a minute that seemed to stretch on forever, the hat made its verdict.
“Gryffindor!”
Ashe made their way over to the table with people in red-and-gold, who cheered for Ashe’s presence. McGonagall called the next name on the list.
After a couple more names passed, Alice heard, “Bennett, Holly.”
The muggleborn exchanged a look with Eve, then made her way to the chair. She sat on it, positioning the hat over her head. After quite the short wait, the hat spoke.
“Gryffindor!”
Holly glanced one last time at Eve, Alice, and Molly, and then made her way over to the Gryffindor table.
“Black, Narcissa,” McGonagall announced.
Alice watched as the person went up to the stool, and she almost gasped.
Narcissa Black was, most likely, the coolest person Alice had ever seen. They had long, blonde hair, tied up into a bun. They pulled off the hogwarts uniform so elegantly , and even the way they walked was just- so graceful. Alice elbowed Molly.
“We have to become their friend. Do you think we could try and follow them into whichever house they go into?” Alice whispered.
“Sure. They do seem quite interesting,” Molly whispered back, nodding.
The hat quickly made its decision. “Slytherin!”
Alice exchanged a glance with Molly, who nodded in return. They were going to do their best to get into that house, no matter what.
(Oh, but that would never work, would it?)
After a while, it was Eve’s turn, and she followed Holly into Gryffindor. After god knows how long, it was finally Alice’s turn. She exchanged a glance with Molly, mouthed Slytherin , and made her way to the chair.
Well, hello, there. A loyal one, aren’t you? Alice almost jumped as the hat spoke into her head, somehow.
What do you mean? Alice asked cautiously.
You’re willing to follow someone you barely know into a house, just to become her friend, for one , the hat stated amusedly. Also, you and your friend, Molly, are determined to follow each other wherever you go. You’d make a good Hufflepuff, with that loyalty.
Alice blinked. I want to get into Slytherin, though, to become Narcissa’s friend.
That’s an ambition. Ah, here, let’s see, you would do well in Ravenclaw too, wouldn’t you? The hat seemed to go through her memories. Ah, but you do have a lot of courage. Gryffindor might be a good place for you. Your ambitions could lead you to doing well in Slytherin, but I don’t think that would fit you that well. Oh, and you already have friends in Gryffindor, no? My answer then will be…
“Gryffindor!”
Alice blinked.
What?
Alice quickly made her way over to the red-and-gold table, confusion painting her features. She tried to find Molly in the crowd of other first years, but she just. Couldn’t find her.
Where was she? God, where the fuck was Molly? Alice was nothing without her best friend, her soulmate, her other half. Where had she gone? Where could she be?
After what felt like eternity, Molly’s name was called by McGonagall. The ginger made her way up to the chair, and Alice watched her, exhaling in relief. Molly seemed to have a passionate discussion with the hat before it made its decision.
“Gryffindor!”
Yes!
Alice could almost cry with how happy she was. Molly was in her house, most likely going to be in her dorm, and they would be together forever and ever-
Molly took a seat next to Alice, and Alice quickly hugged her.
“You came to Gryffindor!”
“You called,” Molly responded, a warm smile on her face. “We’d follow each other anywhere, remember?”
(God, how true that statement was for Molly. She truly would follow Alice to the ends of the Earth, just for the chance to just be in her orbit.)
“Come, follow me, first years, this is the way to your dorms,” a tall, blonde person ushered Molly, Alice, and the other first years up flights of stairs, moving every couple minutes. They seemed to be heading up to one of the towers of the castle. The Ravenclaws were seen heading towards the other tower, and both the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs headed towards the lower floors of the castle.
“Do you think we’ll room with Holly and Eve?” Molly asked in a whisper.
“I hope so. Better to go to the wolves you know than the wolves you don’t, right?” Alice responded. Molly just nodded, looking a little confused.
“Okay?” Molly whispered in response.
“Alright. The password for the common room is Curtains . Do remember this, alright?” The blonde prefect interrupted their discussion, bringing light to the fact that they had arrived at the Gryffindor common room.
Molly glanced at Alice, fright painted onto her features. “My memory is complete crap, Ali, how am I going to remember the password?”
Alice placed her hands on her hips. “You won’t have to remember, because you’ll have me. We’re going to spend all of our time together, and you will never have to remember the password. Trust me.”
(Molly always would.)
It’d been a month since Molly and Alice had started Hogwarts. People tended to give them strange looks in the hallways - you could never see one without the other. They were always holding hands, hugging, just hanging onto each other - physical contact was a really big thing for them.
However, they were no closer to their end goal of befriending Narcissa.
“I don’t get it,” Alice grumbled. “How am I supposed to find an opening to talk to her? She’s always with her friends, talking about something or other.” Alice suddenly glanced up at Molly, expression adorably sad. “Do you think it's pointless?”
Molly was quick to respond. “Of course not. Alice, love, we will win her over by the end of our years at Hogwarts. Just you wait.”
***
Winter break swiftly approached, and the two were no more closer to finding a way to befriend the Slytherin.
“Ughhh,” Alice groaned. “We have to head home for winter break. Maybe if we stayed, we could’ve befriended her while here.”
Molly shook her head. “Apparently she’s also going home. Noble House of Black stuff, I think.”
“Oh.” Alice pouted adorably.
(Sometimes Molly just wanted to make Alice smile so that her adorable pout would go away, instead becoming one of her dazzling smiles-)
Anyways!
“Yeah. Pity,” Molly said with a shrug.
“Well, we’ll have to try again next semester, then,” Alice suggested.
Molly nodded. “You’ll be coming by for new years, right? We’re making Olivye again this year, and my grandma brought in some ikra from Russia.”
“Of course I’m coming!” Alice replied instantly. “Don’t worry your pretty little head, Molly. I come by every year. Rosie’s heading over to a friend’s, however, so she’s not coming.”
“Oh well.”
The semester was coming to a close. The two still currently had next to no progress - and they were still but a duo, with no other good friends. They would sit together in classes, only partnering with each other, eat with each other, walk with each other, and most often than not, share a bed.
(For some reason, that seemed iffy to the other students. Oh well. Why can’t they just let two girls be friends in peace?)
“Alice, do you think we’re too solitary sometimes?” Molly asked. “We spend time with next to no one else. Should we maybe expand our little duo?”
“But didn’t we promise to be each other’s other half and soulmate forever and ever?” Alice asked.
“We wouldn’t be leaving each other behind. Just… expanding our little circle. We’ll always be friends, forever and ever and ever,” Molly promised.
“You promise?” Alice asked, eyes pleading.
“Of course. Anything for you, you know that,” Molly confirmed, hugging the ravenette, her bestest friend in the entire universe.
And so, on that note, their first school year came to a close - the two of them, friends forever, with a mission to befriend the wonderful, elusive Narcissa Black.